Energy savings for 5G networks

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and storage media are described for Load Balancing Optimization (LBO) and Mobility Robustness Optimization (MRO) for fifth generation (5G) systems. In particular, some embodiments may be directed intra-radio access technology (RAT) energy saving scenarios while other embodiments may be directed to and inter-RAT energy saving scenarios. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/881,249 filed Jul. 31, 2019 and entitled “ENERGY SAVINGS FOR 5GNETWORKS,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by referencein its entirety.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the technicalfield of wireless communications.

BACKGROUND

Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure may helpprovide Load Balancing Optimization (LBO) and Mobility RobustnessOptimization (MRO) for fifth generation (5G) systems. In particular,some embodiments may be directed intra-radio access technology (RAT)energy saving scenarios while other embodiments may be directed to andinter-RAT energy saving scenarios.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitatethis description, like reference numerals designate like structuralelements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by wayof limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2, and 3 illustrate examples of operation flow/algorithmicstructures in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example of intra-RAT cells overlaid in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example of inter-RAT cells overlaid in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts an architecture of a system of a network in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts an example of components of a device in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 7 depicts an example of interfaces of baseband circuitry inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 depicts a block diagram illustrating components, according tosome embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable orcomputer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readablestorage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments discussed herein may relate to Load Balancing Optimization(LBO) and Mobility Robustness Optimization (MRO) for fifth generation(5G) systems. In particular, some embodiments may be directedintra-radio access technology (RAT) energy saving scenarios while otherembodiments may be directed to and inter-RAT energy saving scenarios.Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers may be used in different drawings to identifythe same or similar elements. In the following description, for purposesof explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth suchas particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc.,in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects ofthe claimed invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the variousaspects of the invention claimed may be practiced in other examples thatdepart from these specific details. In certain instances, descriptionsof well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not toobscure the description of the present invention with unnecessarydetail.

Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described usingterms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey thesubstance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that alternate embodiments maybe practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes ofexplanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrativeembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatalternate embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Inother instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in ordernot to obscure the illustrative embodiments.

Further, various operations will be described as multiple discreteoperations, in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understandingthe illustrative embodiments; however, the order of description shouldnot be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily orderdependent. In particular, these operations need not be performed in theorder of presentation.

The phrase “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and the likemay refer to the same, or different, embodiments. The terms“comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless thecontext dictates otherwise. The phrase “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or(A and B). The phrases “A/B” and “A or B” mean (A), (B), or (A and B),similar to the phrase “A and/or B.” For the purposes of the presentdisclosure, the phrase “at least one of A and B” means (A), (B), or (Aand B). The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” “inembodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and/or “in various embodiments,”which may each refer to one or more of the same or differentembodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,”and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, are synonymous.

Examples of embodiments may be described as a process depicted as aflowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, ora block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as asequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel,concurrently, or simultaneously. In addition, the order of theoperations may be re-arranged. A process may be terminated when itsoperations are completed, but may also have additional steps notincluded in the figure(s). A process may correspond to a method, afunction, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, and the like. When aprocess corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to areturn of the function to the calling function and/or the main function.

Examples of embodiments may be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions, such as program code, softwaremodules, and/or functional processes, being executed by one or more ofthe aforementioned circuitry. The program code, software modules, and/orfunctional processes may include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks orimplement particular data types. The program code, software modules,and/or functional processes discussed herein may be implemented usingexisting hardware in existing communication networks. For example,program code, software modules, and/or functional processes discussedherein may be implemented using existing hardware at existing networkelements or control nodes.

One objective of energy saving is to lower operating expenses (OPEX) formobile operators. Additionally, the reduction of power consumption inthe mobile networks is becoming more challenging, as there are many morenetwork elements in new radio (NR) (e.g., small cells with massive MIMOin higher frequency bands) than those used in long-term evolution (LTE)systems. One typical scenario of energy saving is to switch off capacityboosters when the traffic demand is low, and re-activate them on a needbasis (see clause 5.6 in TR 37.816, v. 16.0.0, 2019 Jul. 23). Energysaving may include two scenarios—intra-RAT energy saving and inter-RATenergy saving, as defined in TS 32.551 v. 15.0.0, 2018 Jun. 27.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example of an intra-RAT cell overlaid scenario,where: NR micro cell #1 is fully overlaid by NR macro cell #A; NR microcell #2 is partially overlaid by multiple NR macro cells #A and #B; andNR micro cell #3 is not overlaid at all.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example of an inter-RAT cell overlaid scenario,where: NR cell #1 is fully overlaid by LTE macro cell #A; NR cell #2 ispartially overlaid by multiple LTE macro cells #A and #B; and NR cell #3is not overlaid at all. Embodiments of the present disclosure mayconfigure such cell overlaid relations (e.g., as illustrated in FIGS. 4Aand 4B) as well as addressing centralized energy savings and distributedenergy savings scenarios.

Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure may helpprovide Load Balancing Optimization (LBO) and Mobility RobustnessOptimization (MRO). The objective of energy saving is to lower OPEX formobile operators, through the reduction of power consumption in themobile networks that is becoming more urgent and challenging, as thereare more network elements in NR (e.g., small cells with massive MIMO inhigher frequency bands) than those used in LTE. One typical scenario ofenergy saving is to switch off capacity boosters when the traffic demandis low, and re-activate them on a need basis (see clause 5.6 in TR37.816, v. 16.0.0, 2019 Jul. 23).

Energy saving may include two scenarios—intra-RAT energy saving andinter-RAT energy saving. Each scenario can be further composed ofcentralized energy saving and distributed energy saving.

Distributed Intra-RAT Energy Saving

Intra-RAT energy saving (ES) includes distributed energy saving(intra-RAT D-ES) where the energy saving decision is made in the NRcells with operations administration and maintenance (OAM) assist toprovide relevant information, such as policies, or centralized energysaving—intra-RAT C-ES where the energy saving decision is made in OAM. ANR capacity booster cell can only enter energy saving mode if itstraffic load can be taken over by the candidate cells.

FIG. 4A shows an intra-RAT cell overlaid scenario, where: NR micro cell#1 is fully overlaid by NR macro cell #A; NR micro cell #2 is partiallyoverlaid by multiple NR macro cells #A and #B; and NR micro cell #3 isnot overlaid at all.

Energy Saving Activation:

1. The intra-RAT D-ES management function configures the cell overlaidrelations for NR capacity booster cells, and macro cells.

2. The intra-RAT D-ES management function configures the ES policy thatincludes the thresholds for the energy saving activation anddeactivation for NR capacity booster cells and candidate cells.

3. The intra-RAT D-ES management function enables the intra-RAT D-ESfunction for a NR capacity booster cell.

4. The intra-RAT D-ES function makes decision for a NR capacity boostercell to enter the energy saving mode based on the cell traffic loadinformation (see clause 15.4.2 in TS 38.300 v. 15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28).

5. The intra-RAT D-ES function finds one or more candidate cells in thecell overlaid relation that can carry the traffic for the NR capacitybooster cell in the energy saving mode.

6. The intra-RAT D-ES function:

-   -   Asks the NR capacity booster cell to enter the energy saving        mode. NOTE: The NR capacity booster cell may initiate handover        actions to off-load its traffic to the candidate cells, before        activating the energy saving mode (see clause 15.4.2 in TS        38.300 v. 15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28).    -   Sends a notification to the intra-RAT D-ES management function        indicating the energy saving mode of the NR capacity booster        cell has been activated.        Energy Saving Deactivation:

1. The intra-RAT D-ES function monitors the traffic load on thecandidate cells and decides to re-activate the NR capacity booster cellwhen it detects additional capacity is needed (see clause 15.4.2 in TS38.300 v. 15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28).

2. The intra-RAT D-ES function sends a notification to the intra-RATD-ES management function indicating the energy saving mode of the NRcapacity booster cell has been deactivated.

3. After the NR capacity booster cell has been re-activated, theintra-RAT D-ES function sends a notification to the intra-RAT D-ESmanagement function indicating the re-activation of the NR capacitybooster cell.

Centralized Intra-RAT Energy Saving

It is assumed that intra-RAT C-ES function has been enabled, and hasreceived the cell overlaid relations and ES policies for NR capacitybooster cell and macro cells.

Energy Saving Activation:

1. The intra-RAT C-ES function collects the traffic load performancemeasurements from the NR capacity booster cell and candidate cells.

2. The intra-RAT C-ES function analyzes the traffic load performancemeasurements decides that a NR capacity booster cell should enter theenergy saving mode.

3. The intra-RAT C-ES function requests the NR capacity booster cell toenter the energy saving mode.

4. The NR capacity booster cell may initiate handover actions tooff-load the traffic to the neighboring cells (see clause 15.4.2 in TS38.300 v. 15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28) prior to entering into the energy savingmode, and then sends a response to the intra-RAT C-ES functionindicating it is in the energy saving mode.

5. The intra-RAT C-ES function sends a notification to the consumerindicating the NR capacity booster is in the energy saving mode.

Energy Saving Deactivation

1. The intra-RAT C-ES function collects the traffic load performancemeasurements from the candidate cell(s) that are backing up the NRcapacity booster cell.

2. The intra-RAT C-ES function monitors the traffic load on thecandidate cells, and decides to re-activate the NR capacity booster cellif it detects that the capacity is needed (see clause 15.4.2 in TS38.300 v. 15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28).

3. The intra-RAT C-ES function sends a notification to the consumerindicating the NR capacity booster is not in the energy saving mode.

Inter-RAT Energy Saving

Inter-RAT energy saving focuses on a scenario where the LTE evolvedNodeB (eNB) provides basic coverage, with the next-generation NodeB(gNB) providing the capacity booster that can be switched off, based onits own cell load information or by OAM. The LTE eNB is allowed toactivate the dormant capacity booster NR cell (see clause 5.6 in TR37.816 v. 16.0.0, 2019 Jul. 23).

Inter-RAT energy saving includes distributed energy saving—inter-RATD-ES where the energy saving decision is made in the NR cells with OAMassist to provide relevant information, or centralized energy savingwhere the energy saving decision is made in inter-RAT C-ES function. ANR capacity booster cell can only enter the energy saving mode if itstraffic load can be taken over by the candidate cells.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example of an inter-RAT cell overlaid scenario,where: NR cell #1 is fully overlaid by LTE macro cell #A; NR cell #2 ispartially overlaid by multiple LTE macro cells #A and #B; and NR cell #3is not overlaid at all. This cell overlaid relation needs to beconfigured in NR cells.

Distributed Inter-RAT Energy Saving Activation

1. The inter-RAT D-ES management function configures the cell overlaidrelations for NR capacity booster cells, and LTE macro cells.

2. The inter-RAT D-ES management function configures the ES policy thatincludes the thresholds for the energy saving activation anddeactivation for NR capacity booster cells and candidate cells.

3. The inter-RAT D-ES management function enables the intra-RAT D-ESfunction for a NR capacity booster cell.

4. The inter-RAT D-ES function makes decision for a NR capacity boostercell to enter the energy saving mode if it detects that the capacity isno longer needed (see clause 5.6.1 in TR 37.861).

5. The inter-RAT D-ES function finds one or more candidate cells in thecell overlaid relation that can carry the traffic for the NR capacitybooster cell in the energy saving mode.

6. The inter-RAT D-ES function:

-   -   Asks the NR capacity booster cell to enter the energy saving        mode. NOTE: The NR capacity booster cell may initiate handover        actions to off-load its traffic to the candidate cells, before        activating the energy saving mode (see clause 15.4.2 in TS        38.300 v. 15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28).    -   Sends a notification to the inter-RAT D-ES management function        indicating the energy saving mode of the NR capacity booster        cell has been activated.        Distributed Inter-RAT Energy Saving Deactivation

1. The inter-RAT D-ES function monitors the traffic load on thecandidate cells, and decides to re-activate the NR capacity booster cellif it detects that the capacity is needed (see clause 5.6.1 in TR37.861).

2. The inter-RAT D-ES function sends a notification to the intra-RATD-ES management function indicating the energy saving mode of the NRcapacity booster cell has been deactivated.

3. After the NR capacity booster cell has been re-activated, theinter-RAT D-ES function sends a notification to the inter-RAT D-ESmanagement function indicating the re-activation of the NR capacitybooster cell.

Centralized Inter-RAT Energy Saving

It is assumed that inter-RAT C-ES function has been enabled, and hasreceived the cell overlaid relations and ES policies for NR capacitybooster cell and macro cells.

Centralized Inter-RAT Energy Saving Activation

1. The inter-RAT C-ES function collects the traffic load performancemeasurements from the NR capacity booster cell and candidate cells.

2. The inter-RAT C-ES function analyzes the traffic load performancemeasurements decides that a NR capacity booster cell should enter theenergy saving mode.

3. The inter-RAT C-ES function requests the NR capacity booster cell toenter the energy saving mode.

4. The NR capacity booster cell may initiate handover actions tooff-load the traffic to the neighboring cells (see clause 15.4.2 in TS38.300 v. 15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28) prior to entering into the energy savingmode, and then sends a response to the inter-RAT C-ES functionindicating it is in the energy saving mode.

5. The inter-RAT C-ES function sends a notification to the consumerindicating the NR capacity booster is in the energy saving mode.

Centralized Inter-RAT Energy Saving Deactivation

1. The inter-RAT C-ES function collects the traffic load performancemeasurements from the candidate cell(s) that are backing up the NRcapacity booster cell.

2. The inter-RAT C-ES function monitors the traffic load on thecandidate cells, and decides to re-activate the NR capacity booster cellif it detects that the capacity is needed (see clause 15.4.2 in TS38.300 v. 15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28).

3. The inter-RAT C-ES function sends a notification to the consumerindicating the NR capacity booster is not in the energy saving mode.

Potential Requirements

Energy Saving Management

REQ-ESM-1 The intra-RAT D-ES and inter-RAT D-ES management functionsshould have the capability to configure the cell overlaid relations, andenergy saving policies, and to enable or disable the function for a NRcapacity booster cell to enter energy saving mode.

REQ-ESM-2 The intra-RAT D-ES function should have the capability to sendnotifications to the intra-RAT D-ES management function to indicate theenergy saving mode has been activated or deactivated in the NR capacitybooster cell.

REQ-ESM-3 The intra-RAT C-ES should have the capability to collect thetraffic load performance measurements of NR capacity booster and macrocells.

REQ-ESM-4 The intra-RAT C-ES should have the capability to request theNR capacity booster cell to enter the energy saving mode.

REQ-ESM-5 The intra-RAT C-ES should have the capability to activate theenergy saving mode of the NR capacity booster cell after receiving aconfirmation to do so.

REQ-ESM-6 The intra-RAT C-ES should have the capability to deactivatethe energy saving mode of a NR capacity booster cell.

REQ-ESM-7 The inter-RAT D-ES function should have the capability to sendnotifications to the inter-RAT D-ES management function to indicate theenergy saving mode has been activated or deactivated in the NR capacitybooster cell.

REQ-ESM-8 The inter-RAT C-ES should have the capability to collect thetraffic load performance measurements of NR capacity booster and LTEmacro cells.

REQ-ESM-9 The inter-RAT C-ES should have the capability to request theNR capacity booster cell to enter the energy saving mode.

REQ-ESM-10 The inter-RAT C-ES should have the capability to activate theenergy saving mode of the NR capacity booster cell after receiving aconfirmation to do so.

REQ-ESM-11 The inter-RAT C-ES should have the capability to deactivatethe energy saving mode of a NR capacity booster cell.

The following lists the energy solutions:

The basic concept of 5G energy saving is to divert the UE traffic of theNR capacity booster cell to the candidate cell(s) when its traffic loadis low, and switch off the cell to operate in the low energy consumptionmode. The difference between intra-RAT ES and inter-RAT ES is in thatthe candidate cell(s) for intra-RAT ES are NR macro cells, while thecandidate cell(s) for the inter-RAT ES are LTE macro cells.

Distributed Energy Saving Function Management

This solution is applicable to intra-RAT D-ES and inter-RAT D-ES byusing NR macro cells as the candidate cells of intra-RAT D-ES, and LTEmacro cells as the candidate cells of inter-RAT D-ES. It is assumed thatall relevant MOIs have been created.

Energy Saving Activation:

The D-ES management function consumes the management service for NFprovisioning with modiftMOIAttributes operation to:

-   -   Configure the cell overlaid relations for NR capacity booster        cells, and macro cells as candidate cells.    -   Configure the ES policy that includes the thresholds for the        energy saving activation and deactivation for NR capacity        booster cells and candidate cells.    -   Enable the distribute energy saving function for intra-RAT or        inter-RAT.

NOTE: NRM may need to be enhanced to support cell overlaid relations, ESpolicy, and ES control.

The D-ES function makes decision for the NR capacity booster cell toenter the energy saving mode based on the cell traffic load information(see clause 15.4.2 in TS 38.300 v. 15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28).

The D-ES function indicates the change of energy saving mode to itsmanagement service producer for NF provisioning that will send anotifyMOIAttributeValueChanges (see clause 5.1.9 in TS 28.532 v. 15.2.0,2019-03-28) to notify the D-ES management function to indicate the NRcapacity booster has entered the energy saving mode.

Energy Saving Deactivation:

The D-ES function monitors the traffic load of candidate cell, anddecides to re-activate the NR capacity booster cell when it detects thatadditional capacity is needed (see clause 15.4.2 in TS 38.300 v. 15.6.0,2019 Jun. 28).

The D-ES function indicates the change of energy saving mode to itsmanagement service producer for NF provisioning that will send anotifyMOIAttributeValueChanges (see clause 5.1.9 in TS 28.532 v. 15.2.0,2019-03-28) to notify the D-ES management function to indicate the NRcapacity booster has been re-activated.

Centralized Energy Saving Function

This solution is applicable to intra-RAT C-ES and inter-RAT C-ES byusing NR macro cells as the candidate cells of intra-RAT C-ES, and LTEmacro cells as the candidate cells of inter-RAT C-ES. It is assumed thatall relevant MOIs have been created.

Energy Saving Activation:

The C-ES function collects the traffic load performance measurementsfrom the NR capacity booster cell and candidate cells.

The C-ES function analyzes the traffic load performance measurements anddecide that the NR capacity booster cell should enter the energy savingmode.

The C-ES function consumes the management service for NF provisioningwith modifyMOIAttributes operation to request the NR capacity boostercell to enter the energy saving mode.

The NR capacity booster cell may initiate handover actions to off-loadthe traffic to the neighbor cells (see clause 15.4.2 in TS 38.300 v.15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28), prior to entering into the energy saving mode,and then informs the management service producer for NF provisioning tosend a notifyMOIAttributeValueChanges to notify the C-ES function thatthe NR capacity booster cell has entered the energy saving mode.

Energy Saving Deactivation:

The C-ES function collects the traffic load performance measurementsfrom the candidate cells.

The C-ES function decides to re-activate the NR capacity booster cell ifit detects that the capacity is needed (see clause 15.4.2 in TS 38.300v. 15.6.0, 2019 Jun. 28).

The C-ES function consumes the management service for NF provisioningwith modifyMOIAttributes operation to re-activate the NR capacitybooster cell that informs the management service producer for NFprovisioning to send a notifyMOIAttributeValueChanges to notify that theNR capacity booster cell has been re-activated. NOTE: Traffic loadperformance measurements may be defined to support C-ES function.

FIG. 5 illustrates an architecture of a system 500 of a network inaccordance with some embodiments. The system 500 is shown to include auser equipment (UE) 501 and a UE 502. The UEs 501 and 502 areillustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computingdevices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but may alsocomprise any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as PersonalData Assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers,wireless handsets, or any computing device including a wirelesscommunications interface.

In some embodiments, any of the UEs 501 and 502 can comprise an Internetof Things (IoT) UE, which can comprise a network access layer designedfor low-power IoT applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. AnIoT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) ormachine-type communications (MTC) for exchanging data with an MTC serveror device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-BasedService (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensornetworks, or IoT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data may be amachine-initiated exchange of data. An IoT network describesinterconnecting IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiableembedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure), withshort-lived connections. The IoT UEs may execute background applications(e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate theconnections of the IoT network.

The UEs 501 and 502 may be configured to connect, e.g., communicativelycouple, with a radio access network (RAN) 510—the RAN 510 may be, forexample, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), orsome other type of RAN. The UEs 501 and 502 utilize connections 503 and504, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communicationsinterface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example,the connections 503 and 504 are illustrated as an air interface toenable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellularcommunications protocols, such as a Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM) protocol, a code-division multiple access (CDMA)network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular(POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)protocol, a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth generation(5G) protocol, a New Radio (NR) protocol, and the like.

In this embodiment, the UEs 501 and 502 may further directly exchangecommunication data via a ProSe interface 505. The ProSe interface 505may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface comprising oneor more logical channels, including but not limited to a PhysicalSidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel(PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a PhysicalSidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

The UE 502 is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP) 506via connection 507. The connection 507 can comprise a local wirelessconnection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11protocol, wherein the AP 506 would comprise a wireless fidelity (WiFi®)router. In this example, the AP 506 is shown to be connected to theInternet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system(described in further detail below).

The RAN 510 can include one or more access nodes that enable theconnections 503 and 504. These access nodes (ANs) can be referred to asbase stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next GenerationNodeBs (gNB), RAN nodes, and so forth, and can comprise ground stations(e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providingcoverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The RAN 510 mayinclude one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RANnode 511, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells orpicocells (e.g., cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller usercapacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), e.g., low power(LP) RAN node 512.

Any of the RAN nodes 511 and 512 can terminate the air interfaceprotocol and can be the first point of contact for the UEs 501 and 502.In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 511 and 512 can fulfillvarious logical functions for the RAN 510 including, but not limited to,radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearermanagement, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management anddata packet scheduling, and mobility management.

In accordance with some embodiments, the UEs 501 and 502 can beconfigured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency-DivisionMultiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with any ofthe RAN nodes 511 and 512 over a multicarrier communication channel inaccordance various communication techniques, such as, but not limitedto, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a SingleCarrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communicationtechnique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications),although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlinktransmissions from any of the RAN nodes 511 and 512 to the UEs 501 and502, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The gridcan be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequencyresource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in eachslot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practicefor OFDM systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resourceallocation. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds toone OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration ofthe resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radioframe. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is denoted asa resource element. Each resource grid comprises a number of resourceblocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels toresource elements. Each resource block comprises a collection ofresource elements; in the frequency domain, this may represent thesmallest quantity of resources that currently can be allocated. Thereare several different physical downlink channels that are conveyed usingsuch resource blocks.

The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user data andhigher-layer signaling to the UEs 501 and 502. The physical downlinkcontrol channel (PDCCH) may carry information about the transport formatand resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel, among otherthings. It may also inform the UEs 501 and 502 about the transportformat, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request)information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlinkscheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to theUE 502 within a cell) may be performed at any of the RAN nodes 511 and512 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs501 and 502. The downlink resource assignment information may be sent onthe PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs 501 and 502.

The PDCCH may use control channel elements (CCEs) to convey the controlinformation. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCHcomplex-valued symbols may first be organized into quadruplets, whichmay then be permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching.Each PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, whereeach CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elementsknown as resource element groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase ShiftKeying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can betransmitted using one or more CCEs, depending on the size of thedownlink control information (DCI) and the channel condition. There canbe four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with differentnumbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

Some embodiments may use concepts for resource allocation for controlchannel information that are an extension of the above-describedconcepts. For example, some embodiments may utilize an enhanced physicaldownlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for controlinformation transmission. The EPDCCH may be transmitted using one ormore enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs). Similar to above, eachECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elementsknown as enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). An ECCE may haveother numbers of EREGs in some situations.

The RAN 510 is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core network(CN) 520 via an S1 interface 513. In embodiments, the CN 520 may be anevolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network,or some other type of CN. In this embodiment, the S1 interface 513 issplit into two parts: the S1-U interface 514, which carries traffic databetween the RAN nodes 511 and 512 and the serving gateway (S-GW) 522,and the S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface 515, which is asignaling interface between the RAN nodes 511 and 512 and MMEs 521.

In this embodiment, the CN 520 comprises the MMEs 521, the S-GW 522, thePacket Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 523, and a home subscriberserver (HSS) 524. The MMEs 521 may be similar in function to the controlplane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) SupportNodes (SGSN). The MMEs 521 may manage mobility aspects in access such asgateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 524 maycomprise a database for network users, including subscription-relatedinformation to support the network entities' handling of communicationsessions. The CN 520 may comprise one or several HSSs 524, depending onthe number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, onthe organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS 524 canprovide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization,naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.

The S-GW 522 may terminate the S1 interface 513 towards the RAN 510, androutes data packets between the RAN 510 and the CN 520. In addition, theS-GW 522 may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN nodehandovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Otherresponsibilities may include lawful intercept, charging, and some policyenforcement.

The P-GW 523 may terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW 523may route data packets between the EPC network and external networkssuch as a network including the application server 530 (alternativelyreferred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP)interface 525. Generally, the application server 530 may be an elementoffering applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network(e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). Inthis embodiment, the P-GW 523 is shown to be communicatively coupled toan application server 530 via an IP communications interface 525. Theapplication server 530 can also be configured to support one or morecommunication services (e.g., Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP)sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networkingservices, etc.) for the UEs 501 and 502 via the CN 520.

The P-GW 523 may further be a node for policy enforcement and chargingdata collection. Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) 526 isthe policy and charging control element of the CN 520. In a non-roamingscenario, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land MobileNetwork (HPLMN) associated with a UE's Internet Protocol ConnectivityAccess Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with localbreakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with a UE'sIP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within a HPLMN and a Visited PCRF(V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF526 may be communicatively coupled to the application server 530 via theP-GW 523. The application server 530 may signal the PCRF 526 to indicatea new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS)and charging parameters. The PCRF 526 may provision this rule into aPolicy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with theappropriate traffic flow template (TFT) and QoS class of identifier(QCI), which commences the QoS and charging as specified by theapplication server 530.

FIG. 6 illustrates example components of a device 600 in accordance withsome embodiments. In some embodiments, the device 600 may includeapplication circuitry 602, baseband circuitry 604, Radio Frequency (RF)circuitry 606, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 608, one or moreantennas 610, and power management circuitry (PMC) 612 coupled togetherat least as shown. The components of the illustrated device 600 may beincluded in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 600 mayinclude fewer elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize applicationcircuitry 602, and instead include a processor/controller to process IPdata received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device 600 mayinclude additional elements such as, for example, memory/storage,display, camera, sensor, or input/output (I/O) interface. In otherembodiments, the components described below may be included in more thanone device (e.g., said circuitries may be separately included in morethan one device for Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementations).

The application circuitry 602 may include one or more applicationprocessors. For example, the application circuitry 602 may includecircuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core ormulti-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination ofgeneral-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphicsprocessors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupledwith or may include memory/storage and may be configured to executeinstructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applicationsor operating systems to run on the device 600. In some embodiments,processors of application circuitry 602 may process IP data packetsreceived from an EPC.

The baseband circuitry 604 may include circuitry such as, but notlimited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Thebaseband circuitry 604 may include one or more baseband processors orcontrol logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signalpath of the RF circuitry 606 and to generate baseband signals for atransmit signal path of the RF circuitry 606. Baseband processingcircuitry 604 may interface with the application circuitry 602 forgeneration and processing of the baseband signals and for controllingoperations of the RF circuitry 606. For example, in some embodiments,the baseband circuitry 604 may include a third generation (3G) basebandprocessor 604A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 604B, afifth generation (5G) baseband processor 604C, or other basebandprocessor(s) 604D for other existing generations, generations indevelopment or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation(2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 604 (e.g.,one or more of baseband processors 604A-D) may handle various radiocontrol functions that enable communication with one or more radionetworks via the RF circuitry 606. In other embodiments, some or all ofthe functionality of baseband processors 604A-D may be included inmodules stored in the memory 604G and executed via a Central ProcessingUnit (CPU) 604E. The radio control functions may include, but are notlimited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radiofrequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation/demodulationcircuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include Fast-FourierTransform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping/demappingfunctionality. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of thebaseband circuitry 604 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution,turbo, Viterbi, or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoderfunctionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation andencoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and mayinclude other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may include one or moreaudio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 604F. The audio DSP(s) 604F maybe include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellationand may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments.Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in asingle chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board insome embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituentcomponents of the baseband circuitry 604 and the application circuitry602 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on achip (SOC).

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may provide forcommunication compatible with one or more radio technologies. Forexample, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may supportcommunication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network(EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN).Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 604 is configured to supportradio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referredto as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

RF circuitry 606 may enable communication with wireless networks usingmodulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. Invarious embodiments, the RF circuitry 606 may include switches, filters,amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wirelessnetwork. RF circuitry 606 may include a receive signal path which mayinclude circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEMcircuitry 608 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry604. RF circuitry 606 may also include a transmit signal path which mayinclude circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by thebaseband circuitry 604 and provide RF output signals to the FEMcircuitry 608 for transmission.

In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 606 mayinclude mixer circuitry 606 a, amplifier circuitry 606 b and filtercircuitry 606 c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RFcircuitry 606 may include filter circuitry 606 c and mixer circuitry 606a. RF circuitry 606 may also include synthesizer circuitry 606 d forsynthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 606 a of thereceive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments,the mixer circuitry 606 a of the receive signal path may be configuredto down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 608 based onthe synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 606 d. Theamplifier circuitry 606 b may be configured to amplify thedown-converted signals and the filter circuitry 606 c may be a low-passfilter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwantedsignals from the down-converted signals to generate output basebandsignals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the basebandcircuitry 604 for further processing. In some embodiments, the outputbaseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although thisis not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 606 a of thereceive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope ofthe embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606 a of the transmit signalpath may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on thesynthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 606 d togenerate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 608. The basebandsignals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 604 and may befiltered by filter circuitry 606 c.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606 a of the receive signalpath and the mixer circuitry 606 a of the transmit signal path mayinclude two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadraturedownconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, themixer circuitry 606 a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry606 a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and maybe arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In someembodiments, the mixer circuitry 606 a of the receive signal path andthe mixer circuitry 606 a of the transmit signal path may be arrangedfor direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In someembodiments, the mixer circuitry 606 a of the receive signal path andthe mixer circuitry 606 a of the transmit signal path may be configuredfor super-heterodyne operation.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input basebandsignals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of theembodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternateembodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signalsmay be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RFcircuitry 606 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) anddigital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry604 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RFcircuitry 606.

In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may beprovided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope ofthe embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 606 d may be afractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer, although thescope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other typesof frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizercircuitry 606 d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequencymultiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with afrequency divider.

The synthesizer circuitry 606 d may be configured to synthesize anoutput frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 606 a of the RFcircuitry 606 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. Insome embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 606 d may be a fractionalN/N+1 synthesizer.

In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltagecontrolled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. Dividercontrol input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 604 orthe applications processor 602 depending on the desired outputfrequency. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may bedetermined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by theapplications processor 602.

Synthesizer circuitry 606 d of the RF circuitry 606 may include adivider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phaseaccumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulusdivider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phaseaccumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured todivide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry out)to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, theDLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phasedetector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments,the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Ndequal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in thedelay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to helpensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 606 d may be configured togenerate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in otherembodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrierfrequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrierfrequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and dividercircuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency withmultiple different phases with respect to each other. In someembodiments, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (fLO). In someembodiments, the RF circuitry 606 may include an IQ/polar converter.

FEM circuitry 608 may include a receive signal path, which may includecircuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or moreantennas 610, amplify the received signals and provide the amplifiedversions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 606 for furtherprocessing. FEM circuitry 608 may also include a transmit signal path,which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals fortransmission provided by the RF circuitry 606 for transmission by one ormore of the one or more antennas 610. In various embodiments, theamplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be donesolely in the RF circuitry 606, solely in the FEM 608, or in both the RFcircuitry 606 and the FEM 608.

In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 608 may include a TX/RX switch toswitch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEMcircuitry 608 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signalpath. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 608 may include a lownoise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and provide theamplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry606). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 608 may include apower amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RFcircuitry 606), and one or more filters to generate RF signals forsubsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or moreantennas 610).

In some embodiments, the PMC 612 may manage power provided to thebaseband circuitry 604. In particular, the PMC 612 may controlpower-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DCconversion. The PMC 612 may often be included when the device 600 iscapable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device isincluded in a UE. The PMC 612 may increase the power conversionefficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heatdissipation characteristics.

FIG. 6 shows the PMC 612 coupled only with the baseband circuitry 604.However, in other embodiments, the PMC 612 may be additionally oralternatively coupled with, and perform similar power managementoperations for, other components such as, but not limited to,application circuitry 602, RF circuitry 606, or FEM 608.

In some embodiments, the PMC 612 may control, or otherwise be part of,various power saving mechanisms of the device 600. For example, if thedevice 600 is in an RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected tothe RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may entera state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period ofinactivity. During this state, the device 600 may power down for briefintervals of time and thus save power.

If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time,then the device 600 may transition off to an RRC_Idle state, where itdisconnects from the network and does not perform operations such aschannel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 600 goes into a verylow power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakesup to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 600may not receive data in this state, in order to receive data, it musttransition back to RRC_Connected state.

An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be unavailable tothe network for periods longer than a paging interval (ranging fromseconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is totallyunreachable to the network and may power down completely. Any data sentduring this time incurs a large delay and it is assumed the delay isacceptable.

Processors of the application circuitry 602 and processors of thebaseband circuitry 604 may be used to execute elements of one or moreinstances of a protocol stack. For example, processors of the basebandcircuitry 604, alone or in combination, may be used to execute Layer 3,Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality, while processors of the applicationcircuitry 602 may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from theselayers and further execute Layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmissioncommunication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers).As referred to herein, Layer 3 may comprise a radio resource control(RRC) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein,Layer 2 may comprise a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio linkcontrol (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP)layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 1may comprise a physical (PHY) layer of a UE/RAN node, described infurther detail below.

FIG. 7 illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry inaccordance with some embodiments. As discussed above, the basebandcircuitry 604 of FIG. 6 may comprise processors 604A-604E and a memory604G utilized by said processors. Each of the processors 604A-604E mayinclude a memory interface, 704A-704E, respectively, to send/receivedata to/from the memory 604G.

The baseband circuitry 604 may further include one or more interfaces tocommunicatively couple to other circuitries/devices, such as a memoryinterface 712 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from memoryexternal to the baseband circuitry 604), an application circuitryinterface 714 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from theapplication circuitry 602 of FIG. 6 ), an RF circuitry interface 716(e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from RF circuitry 606 ofFIG. 6 ), a wireless hardware connectivity interface 718 (e.g., aninterface to send/receive data to/from Near Field Communication (NFC)components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi®components, and other communication components), and a power managementinterface 720 (e.g., an interface to send/receive power or controlsignals to/from the PMC 612.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating components, according to someexample embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readableor computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readablestorage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein. Specifically, FIG. 8 shows a diagrammaticrepresentation of hardware resources 800 including one or moreprocessors (or processor cores) 810, one or more memory/storage devices820, and one or more communication resources 830, each of which may becommunicatively coupled via a bus 840. For embodiments where nodevirtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 802 may be executedto provide an execution environment for one or more networkslices/sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 800.

The processors 810 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reducedinstruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction setcomputing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digitalsignal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit(RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) mayinclude, for example, a processor 812 and a processor 814.

The memory/storage devices 820 may include main memory, disk storage, orany suitable combination thereof. The memory/storage devices 820 mayinclude, but are not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatilememory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random-accessmemory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flashmemory, solid-state storage, etc.

The communication resources 830 may include interconnection or networkinterface components or other suitable devices to communicate with oneor more peripheral devices 804 or one or more databases 806 via anetwork 808. For example, the communication resources 830 may includewired communication components (e.g., for coupling via a UniversalSerial Bus (USB)), cellular communication components, NFC components,Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components,and other communication components.

Instructions 850 may comprise software, a program, an application, anapplet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least any of theprocessors 810 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussedherein. The instructions 850 may reside, completely or partially, withinat least one of the processors 810 (e.g., within the processor's cachememory), the memory/storage devices 820, or any suitable combinationthereof. Furthermore, any portion of the instructions 850 may betransferred to the hardware resources 800 from any combination of theperipheral devices 804 or the databases 806. Accordingly, the memory ofprocessors 810, the memory/storage devices 820, the peripheral devices804, and the databases 806 are examples of computer-readable andmachine-readable media.

In various embodiments, the devices/components of FIGS. 5-8 , andparticularly the baseband circuitry of FIG. 7 , may be used to practice,in whole or in part, any of the operation flow/algorithmic structuresdepicted in FIGS. 1-3 .

One example of an operation flow/algorithmic structure is depicted inFIG. 1 , which may be performed by a new radio (NR) capacity boostercell or portion thereof. In this example, operation flow/algorithmicstructure 100 may include, at 105, identifying a candidate cell in acell overlaid relation to an NR capacity booster cell, the candidatecell to carry traffic for the NR capacity booster cell while the NRcapacity booster cell in an ES mode. Operation flow/algorithmicstructure 100 may further include, at 110, causing, based on celltraffic load information and ES policy information, the NR capacitybooster cell to activate the ES mode. Operation flow/algorithmicstructure 100 may further include, at 115, generating a notificationthat is to indicate the ES mode for the NR capacity booster cell hasbeen activated.

Another example of an operation flow/algorithmic structure is depictedin FIG. 2 , which may be performed by a new radio (NR) capacity boostercell or portion thereof. In this example, operation flow/algorithmicstructure 200 may include, at 205, collecting traffic load performancemeasurements from a new radio (NR) capacity booster cell and a candidatecell. Operation flow/algorithmic structure 200 may further include, at210, activating, based on the load performance measurements, an energysaving (ES) mode for the NR capacity booster cell. Operationflow/algorithmic structure 200 may further include, at 215, generating anotification that is to indicate the ES mode for the NR capacity boostercell has been activated.

Another example of an operation flow/algorithmic structure is depictedin FIG. 3 , which may be performed by a new radio (NR) capacity boostercell or portion thereof. In this example, operation flow/algorithmicstructure 300 may include, at 305, receiving cell traffic loadinformation. Operation flow/algorithmic structure 300 may furtherinclude, at 310, activating, based on the cell traffic load informationand energy saving (ES) policy information, an ES mode for a new radio(NR) capacity booster cell. Operation flow/algorithmic structure 300 mayfurther include, at 315, generating a notification that is to indicatethe ES mode for the NR capacity booster cell has been activated.

EXAMPLES

Some non-limiting examples are provided below.

Example 1 includes an apparatus comprising: memory to store energysaving (ES) policy information that includes an ES activation thresholdand an ES deactivation threshold for a new radio (NR) capacity boostercell; and processor circuitry, coupled with the memory, to: identify acandidate cell in a cell overlaid relation to the NR capacity boostercell, the candidate cell to carry traffic for the NR capacity boostercell while the NR capacity booster cell in an ES mode; cause, based oncell traffic load information and the ES policy information, the NRcapacity booster cell to activate the ES mode; and generate anotification that is to indicate the ES mode for the NR capacity boostercell has been activated.

Example 2 includes the apparatus of example 1 or some other exampleherein, wherein the identified candidate cell is one of a plurality NRmacro cells at least partially overlaid with the NR capacity boostercell.

Example 3 includes the apparatus of example 1 or some other exampleherein, wherein the processor circuitry is further to cause the NRcapacity booster cell to deactivate the ES mode.

Example 4 includes the apparatus of example 3 or some other exampleherein, wherein the processor circuitry is to cause the NR capacitybooster cell to deactivate the ES mode based on a monitored traffic loadon the candidate cell.

Example 5 includes the apparatus of example 3 or some other exampleherein, wherein the processor circuitry is further to generate anotification that the ES mode for the NR capacity booster cell has beendeactivated.

Example 6 includes the apparatus of example 1 or some other exampleherein, wherein to cause the NR capacity booster cell to activate the ESmode is to cause the NR capacity booster cell to initiate one or morehandover actions to offload traffic to the candidate cell.

Example 7 includes the apparatus of example 1 or some other exampleherein, wherein the processor circuitry includes an intra-radio accesstechnology (RAT) distributed-energy saving (D-ES) function to identifythe candidate cell, cause the NR capacity booster cell to activate theES mode, and generate the notification.

Example 8 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediastoring instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, areto cause an intra-radio access technology (RAT) centralized-energysaving (C-ES) function to: collect traffic load performance measurementsfrom a new radio (NR) capacity booster cell and a candidate cell;activate, based on the load performance measurements, an energy saving(ES) mode for the NR capacity booster cell; and generate a notificationthat is to indicate the ES mode for the NR capacity booster cell hasbeen activated.

Example 9 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 8 or some other example herein, wherein the intra-RATC-ES function is to collect traffic load performance measurements from aplurality of candidate cells.

Example 10 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 8 or some other example herein, wherein to activate theES mode, the intra-RAT C-ES function is to cause the NR capacity boostercell to initiate a handover action to offload traffic to the candidatecell prior to entering the ES mode.

Example 11 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 8 or some other example herein, wherein theinstructions are further to cause the intra-RAT C-ES function todeactivate the ES mode for the NR capacity booster cell.

Example 12 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 11 or some other example herein, wherein the ES modefor the NR capacity booster cell is deactivated based on traffic loadperformance measurements from the candidate cell.

Example 13 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 11 or some other example herein, wherein theinstructions are further to cause the intra-RAT C-ES function togenerate a notification that the ES mode is deactivated.

Example 14 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediastoring instructions that, when executed by one or more processors,cause a distributed-energy saving (D-ES) function to: receive celltraffic load information; activate, based on the cell traffic loadinformation and energy saving (ES) policy information, an ES mode for anew radio (NR) capacity booster cell; and generate a notification thatis to indicate the ES mode for the NR capacity booster cell has beenactivated.

Example 15 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 14 or some other example herein, wherein the ES policyinformation is to indicate thresholds for ES activation and deactivationfor the NR capacity booster cell.

Example 16 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 14 or some other example herein, wherein theinstructions are further to cause the D-ES function to deactivate the ESmode for the NR capacity booster cell, wherein the ES mode isdeactivated based on a monitored traffic load on a candidate cell.

Example 17 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 16 or some other example herein, wherein thenotification is a first notification, and the instructions are furtherto cause the D-ES function to generate a second notification that the ESmode for the NR capacity booster cell has been deactivated.

Example 18 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 17 or some other example herein, wherein the secondnotification is a notifyMOIAttributeValueChanges message that indicatesthe ES mode for the NR capacity booster has been deactivated.

Example 19 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 14 or some other example herein, wherein to cause theNR capacity booster cell to activate the ES mode, the D-ES function isto cause the NR capacity booster cell to initiate one or more handoveractions to offload traffic to a candidate cell.

Example 20 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of example 14 or some other example herein, wherein thenotification is a notifyMOIAttributeValueChanges message that indicatesthe ES mode for the NR capacity booster has been activated.

Example 21 may include an apparatus comprising means to perform one ormore elements of a method described in or related to any of examples1-20, or any other method or process described herein.

Example 22 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, uponexecution of the instructions by one or more processors of theelectronic device, to perform one or more elements of a method describedin or related to any of examples 1-20, or any other method or processdescribed herein.

Example 23 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, and/orcircuitry to perform one or more elements of a method described in orrelated to any of examples 1-20, or any other method or processdescribed herein.

Example 24 may include a method, technique, or process as described inor related to any of examples 1-20, or portions or parts thereof.

Example 25 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processorsand one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that,when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or moreprocessors to perform the method, techniques, or process as described inor related to any of examples 1-20, or portions thereof.

Example 26 may include a method of communicating in a wireless networkas shown and described herein.

Example 27 may include a system for providing wireless communication asshown and described herein.

Example 28 may include a device for providing wireless communication asshown and described herein.

The description herein of illustrated implementations, including what isdescribed in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. While specificimplementations and examples are described herein for illustrativepurposes, a variety of alternate or equivalent embodiments orimplementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be made inlight of the above detailed description, without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: memory to store energy saving (ES) policy information that includes an ES activation threshold and an ES deactivation threshold for a new radio (NR) capacity booster cell; and processor circuitry, coupled with the memory, to: identify a candidate cell in a cell overlaid in relation to the NR capacity booster cell, the candidate cell to carry traffic for the NR capacity booster cell while the NR capacity booster cell is in an ES mode; cause, based on cell traffic load information and the ES policy information, the NR capacity booster cell to activate the ES mode; and generate a notification that is to indicate the ES mode for the NR capacity booster cell has been activated.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identified candidate cell is one of a plurality of NR macro cells at least partially overlaid with the NR capacity booster cell.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is further to cause the NR capacity booster cell to deactivate the ES mode.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processor circuitry is to cause the NR capacity booster cell to deactivate the ES mode based on a monitored traffic load on the candidate cell.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processor circuitry is further to generate a notification that the ES mode for the NR capacity booster cell has been deactivated.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to cause the NR capacity booster cell to activate the ES mode is to cause the NR capacity booster cell to initiate one or more handover actions to offload traffic to the candidate cell.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry includes an intra-radio access technology (RAT) distributed-energy saving (D-ES) function to identify the candidate cell, cause the NR capacity booster cell to activate the ES mode, and generate the notification. 